Love Me Do Matt Grabowski

Love, love me do You Know I love you I’ll always be true So please, love me do Whoa, love me do – The Beatles

Singer-songwriter Matt Grabowski love of music began with the opening lines of the Beatles “Love Me Do.”

His parents would play the Beatles, CSNY, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Poco and other country/folk groups, but it was the Beatles’s “Love Me Do,” that really started his love of music.

The Glen Cove based singer-songwriter’s catchy songs have a mix of all those influences. His most recent song ‘The Butterfly and The Caterpillar’ sounds a lot like an Irish folk rock but there are also hints of classic rock, folk and alternative in songs. In the midst of songwriting and playing locally at a 70s revival show in Glen Cove in early February and at the Revolution in Amityville as part of The Break Contest, Grabowski took the time to speak with Pulse Insider about his music.

Pulse Insider: How would you describe your music to someone you just met? Matt Grabowski: I’d have no other choice than to sit down and play it. My most recent song, working title ‘The Butterfly and The Caterpillar’ sounds a lot like an Irish folk rock song, meanwhile a song I’m working on now, titled ‘Delivery’ is about witnessing crazy things while delivering pizza and has a sort of ‘Piano Man’ feel.

PI: How did you get your start in music? MG: I toyed with the trumpet in school but became infatuated with music when I was given my first drum set at the age of 11. I’d spend all day drumming to my favorite bands; I’d go out and create an ensemble for shows in the summer, but I realized I couldn’t write songs like that and took up the guitar.

PI: If you could open for anyone who would it be? MG: If I had my pick, I’d love to open for someone like Hozier. It’s great to see an artist becoming mainstream among a young audience without sacrificing his musicianship.

PI: Where do you draw musical inspiration from? MG: While my favorite guys to listen to are Hendrix, The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Beatles, I can tell that my songwriting draws influence more from guys like Bob Dylan and even Steppenwolf.

If something’s bothering me, I’ll sit down and write. Because I grew up on modern-day mainstream music, I have that ear for “what’s catchy.” But because I grew up on bands that really didn’t care about popularity and focused on musicianship, there isn’t a tradeoff between having one or the other. That’s something that happens a lot today. And it’s not something I’m looking to do.

PI: What are you working on right now? MG: Right now I’m working towards building a solid set of originals that can prove to someone that I’m worth signing. But there’s still a lot that could happen, so I keep playing shows in the mean time. I’m at a pretty high point right now and I can only go up from here.